Verdict
The OnePlus Pad offers great computer hardware at a competitive Leontyne Price , but the lack of package support for its own accessories and the deletion of key pro - unwavering apps on Android may go out some defeated , especially if you ’re come from an iPad .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
OnePlus has decided to dip its toe into the tablet market place with the first OnePlus Pad , a mid - range tablet with flagship hardware looking to take the iPad ’s jacket crown – but can it attain such lofty aims ?
sure as shooting , with trashy hardware including an 11.65 - inch 144Hz display with Dolby Vision , quad - speaker unit with Dolby Atmos , some of the loyal charging on a tablet and official stylus and keyboard binding accessories it ’s a enticing option , but it lacks the finesse and pro - level apps of the verybest iPads .
Still , if you ’re a die - hard Android fan that love the approximation of Android apps on the with child cover , the OnePlus Pad is a tempting alternative at just £ 449/$479 .
Design and screen
The OnePlus Pad does n’t look that different to the sea ofAndroid tabletson the market , but that ’s simply because there are only a few ways you could really plan a big slab of glass and aluminium .
But while OnePlus does n’t do much to break the tablet mould , it is a very nice touch tablet with a CNC - milled aluminum unibody and a slight 2.5D curvature both on the hind end and border of the presentation that allow it to sit comfortably in the hand , specially compared to the angulate design of recent models of iPad .
It ’s also pretty damn polished at just 6.5 mm thick , and while it ’s not quite as lightweight as theiPad Air ( 2022)at 552 gravitational constant , it ’s a far cry from heavier tablets like theiPad Pro 12.9andSamsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra . That signify it ’s relatively well-situated to carry and hold , even one - handed , and bring in it near - obscure when thrown into a back pack .
This is a tablet design to be used in landscape predilection , made obvious not only by the horizontal OnePlus logo on the rump but the position of the circular camera housing . In a horizontal preference , the rearward 13MP camera baby-sit centrally near the top edge of the tablet , which is hunky-dory .
However , issues can arise when you use the tablet in portrait orientation , if you tend to hold the pad of paper with your ripe hand as I do , you ’ll be running your finger and medal over the photographic camera housing . It ’s not only a little uncomfortable , but it also means you ’ll be perpetually cleaning the lenses if you mean on using the tablet for photography .
One famed omission is the lack of a fingerprint scanner , whether in the world power button or the display , with the pad of paper relying on ( unsecure ) 1D facial identification or passcode entry . It ’s not quite as convenient or secure as other tablets , and considering it is technical school that ’s available on even tinny tablets like theXiaomi Pad 5 , it ’s painfully missed here .
The 11.61 - in display of the OnePlus Pad is notable not only because it ’s bigger than all but one of Apple ’s iPads , but because it sports a rather unique 7:5 aspect ratio that ’s comparatively boxier than rival pill .
This , according to OnePlus , allow the pad to “ display almost the same area as a 12 - in screen using a standard ratio ” and while I ca n’t quite avow those claims , the screen does find large and expansive whether I ’m scroll through Twitter or playing Stardew Valley .
It does , at the very least , allow you to display more on - screen in a horizontal aspect proportion when displaying two apps side - by - side , making the feature film more usable here than on smaller tablets . And with bezels just 6.7 mm wooden-headed , it ’s a very premium - depend display .
Moving beyond the aspect ratio , you ’ll get hold an LCD control panel with a 2800 x 2000 resolving power and a fairly fast144Hz refresh ratenot really seen on other tablets – even Apple ’s top - end iPad Pro tops out at 120Hz .
The speedy refresh pace help oneself everything find extremist smooth , whether you ’re simply scrolling through media - heavy apps or strain to get the best framerate potential when mobile gaming , but I ’m not indisputable most people will notice the surplus speed compared to the more widely used120Hz .
Elsewhere you may wait onwards toDolby Vision HDRsupport that makes supported content on the the like of Netflix really pop , from the vivacious colour to the lucubrate dynamical range , however the limitations of LCD tech are especially seeming when looking at dark scene . Rather than being truly inky black , blacks can sometimes look a little gray .
That ’s pair withDolby Atmosaudio support and a whopping four side - mounted stereoscopic picture speakers that return a moderately meretricious , talkative listening experience . It wo n’t replace yourBluetooth speakeror headphones anytime before long , nor would I say the quality is better than that of the iPad Air , but the two are certainly on a par with one another for casual wake .
Accessories
Not content with just proffer a good - look tablet , OnePlus has also release a dedicated style and keyboard case for the OnePlus Pad to extend its functionality .
The £ 99/$99 Stylo has impressive hardware beneath its lightweight credit card shell , including an impressive 2ms reception prison term that makes for a much more responsive writing experience than even the Apple Pencil and its 9ms latent period , and the power to double - rap the stylus to flip-flop between pen and eraser in supported apps .
I ca n’t say I ’m much of an artist but it ’s a great accessory for creatives or those that wish to hand - write notes , and when it ’s not in habit , it can magnetically snap into place on the side of the pad for safe - keeping . That ’s also where it ’ll find charge , just like another popular lozenge and stylus compounding . Ahem .
There ’s also the £ 149/$149 magnetic keyboard case which , as the name suggest , provides a full keyboard and trackpad for utilization with the pad of paper . It snaps into property on the rearward case just like Apple ’s iPad for an easy fit and slot into place at a slight angle . It ’s not adjustable like Apple ’s high - end Magic Keyboard , but the two are amazingly similar otherwise .
Both offer great key change of location and feedback for a satisfying typewriting experience , map keys to adjust features like bulk and luminance and a comely - sized trackpad to complete the laptop computer - same experience . The somewhat tweaked layout of the keyboard took a little getting used to , but once I adjusted to it , I regain it to be very comfortable to use .
In fact , I typed huge wrapping of this very follow-up using the OnePlus Pad and the magnetic keyboard causa .
The hardware of the accessories is self-colored then , it ’s just a pity that the software support is n’t quite at the same level – but more on that in a little spot .
Performance and software
The OnePlus Pad is one of few tablets on the market to boast MediaTek ’s high - level , but not quite top - end , Dimensity 9000chipset , couple with 8 GB Aries and 128 GB of non - expandable memory .
The chipset is n’t quite at the same stage as Apple ’s M - serial microprocessor chip , but it ’s not far from theA14 Bionicof the iPad ( 10th - gen ) and it ’s surprisingly square in everyday usage – especially when it come to gaming on the pad of paper .
It manages to keep cool even over offer periods of employment when running games like Stardew Valley and Call of Duty Mobile , with no celebrated red-hot smear on the rear or sides of the pad of paper .
It also makes light work of running multiple apps on - silver screen at once , allowing you to , say , watch a video on YouTube while type away in Google Docs . In fact , I ’ve not really witness any kind of meantime or slowly - down while using the lozenge over the retiring two weeks .
That ’s backed up by benchmark results too , paint a picture of a up to – but nottop - death – tab .
As with most Android tablets , the issue is n’t the hardware but the computer software , and the lack of pro - level tab - optimize apps in fussy .
It ’s the reason why Apple ’s iPad collecting is so pop ; the App Store boasts over two million apps optimise for the iPad ’s large video display , including seriously equal to originative apps likeProcreateandDaVinci Resolve . Not having access to these form of apps on the OnePlus Pad earnestly affects just how useful it can be for body of work and play .
Sure , I used Google Docs for word processing and enjoyed playing games like Stardew Valley or gorge random videos on YouTube , but the hardware is capable of so much more – and that ’s a bit of a shame . It ’s not an issue exclusive to OnePlus , but it ’s something that needs to improve on the Android side of thing if these tablets are going to be dead on target iPad contender .
The problems with the OnePlus Pad are n’t just down to the lack of tablet - optimize apps though ; it ’s also that OnePlus ’ OxygenOS 13.1 , based onAndroid 13 , lacks meaningful support for tablets , even when it come to its own accessories .
Take the OnePlus Stylo as an case ; while the computer hardware is telling with a 2ms reply time , you wo n’t discover ready to hand features like hand - to - text conversion for gentle note share-out – a basic of not only the iPad but the like of theReMarkable 2 – nor will you get hold any quick note functionality , allowing you to jot notice cursorily , as with the ilk of theSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra .
It does n’t even have a consecrate note - read app to show off the stylus ’ writing and doodle capabilities – I had to download Sketchbook from Google free rein to really see what the style could do .
Those shortcomings also extend to the keyboard suit , with one glare issue being the fact that the on - silver screen keyboard ( which takes up around a third of the exhibit ) does n’t disappear when using the physical keyboard of the case , essentially squander a large clod of the display . For a productiveness - focused accessory , that ’s not ideal .
Sure , these things can be infix further along the origin with subsequent OS updates – OnePlus has committed itself to a rather generous three years of oxygen rise and four years of security for the mid - range tab – but it ’s not ideal for the former adopters looking for a serious alternative to the iPad for body of work and productivity .
Camera
Unless you ’re one ofthosepeople that care to use a big - screen tab to take photo and videos at concert , camera carrying out on a tablet likely is n’t something you ’ll manage too much about .
That ’s ostensibly OnePlus ’ judgment too , with the OnePlus Pad sporting a single 13MP rear - facing camera with digital EIS and a maximal video seizure charge per unit of 4K@30fps .
It ’s a o.k. Chrysophrys auratus for quickly sharing prototype with loved ones on social media but it ’s not exactly something that ’ll bring forth images that ’ll stop you in your tracks , lacking the point of contingent and dynamical range on offer from even budget - level smartphones .
Flip the tablet over and you ’ll find an 8MP ultrawide camera with Limelight technology that , in a similar vena to Apple ’s Center Stage , automatically crops in and follows you as you move around the room , idealistic for TV calls and even removed demonstration , but the overall quality is n’t that great , especially in dimly ignite conditions .
Essentially , if you ’re looking for a machine that ’ll take cracking photos , you ’re good off with a liberal - blind phone like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or theOnePlus 11 .
Battery life
The OnePlus Pad is power by a rather generous 9510mAh barrage that is comfortably able to do by around 11 hours of use before ask a top - up in my experience . That might not fathom like much but it ’s a little full than Apple ’s dim 10 - minute hope for its iPads , and when that ’s circularise over a few daylight of use , you wo n’t find yourself scrambling for a charger too often .
In terms of specific , the OnePlus Pad dropped by 9 % with an hour of HDR playback on Netflix , while 30 minutes of easy gaming saw an medium battery drain of 5 % . That ’s not quite up to the 6 % of drain when watching Netflix onApple ’s 10th - gen iPad , though it ’s a slender improvement on the 11 % of Samsung ’s top - last Tab S8 Ultra .
OnePlus also prides itself on the standby capabilities of the OnePlus Pad , claiming that it can last up to a month on standby , allowing you to potentially pick it up weeks after a explosive charge and still be able-bodied to use it for a few hours . That ’s not quite accurate in my experience , though , with the OnePlus Pad die hard out of burster after 8 mean solar day with around 2 - 3 hours of use spread over a few days .
The good news is that the battery can be topped up rather quickly with support for67W SuperVOOC charging – but there ’s a catch . Unlike pretty much every other OnePlus merchandise , the OnePlus Pad does n’t ship with the profligate charger in the boxful – in fact , it does n’t come with a charge brick at all . OnePlus presumably assumes that you ’ll already have a late OnePlus phone and can use that battery charger with the tab .
For everyone else though , it ’s a charger that ’ll cost around £ 30 onAmazon .
It is worth it nevertheless ; using the 100W SuperVOOC courser bundled with the OnePlus 11 , the OnePlus Pad reach 55 % charge in 30 moment with a full electric charge take just over an hour – much quicker than any iPad Apple has to provide . If you do n’t opt for the compatible ace - degenerate charger , things are n’t quite as rosy however , taking around 2 60 minutes to achieve a full charge .
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Should you buy it?
- view the £ 449 damage tag , the OnePlus Pad has impressive hardware including a expectant 144Hz display and speedy 67W SuperVOOC charging .
While Android tablets are hold a comeback , they still miss key pro - level tablet apps usable on iPads .
Final Thoughts
There ’s a lot to like about the OnePlus Pad , even when compared to iPads , particularly in the hardware department . Key features like a orotund 11.65 - inch liquid crystal display presentation with a blisteringly libertine 144Hz refresh rate put up out from the challenger at all price points , while the 67W SuperVOOC charging contract the lozenge from matt to full in just an hour . It ’s just a bit of a shame that the charger does n’t come in the box for some reason .
The accessories are well - build too with the Stylo boasting an telling 2ms reception time , and the magnetic keyboard covert was good enough for me to write huge swathes of this very review . However , it lacks the software support of iPads , with unmatched bugs like the on - screen keyboard not disappear when using the physical keyboard .
It also fall dupe to the same issue present on every Android pad of paper ; a lack of key pro - level apps like Procreate and DaVinci Resolve that are available on the iPad , seriously bound just how much you may do with that impressive computer hardware .
However , compare to the Android tablet competitor that seems to either target the budget or high - end market , the OnePlus Pad proffer the best of both reality . It offers a larger , higher tone exhibit and more processing great power than the budget - focused Xiaomi Pad 5 while not going quite as far as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with its true flagship specs and huge display .
Trusted Score
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FAQs
Unlike its smartphones and most tablet competitors , the OnePlus Pad does n’t ship with a charge brick .
No , the OnePlus Pad is only available with Wi - Fi connectivity .
No , the accessories are available to purchase separately .
